Net Worth: $9.1 billion

LAST YEAR: $8 billion
CHANGE: 13%
AGE: 78
RESIDENCE: Beverly Park
SOURCE OF WEALTH: Aircraft leasing

Aircraft leasing pioneer Udvar-Házy was born in Budapest, Hungary, and moved to the United States with his family in 1958, fleeing Soviet occupation. He got his first taste of aircraft leasing while at UCLA when he helped broker a deal for Air New Zealand. He built on that experience to found International Lease Finance Corp. in 1973, which he ultimately sold in 1990 to American International Group for $1.3 billion, staying on as chair and chief executive until 2010. Udvar-Házy then launched Air Lease, at which he’s now executive chair. Air Lease’s share price is up 20% over the past year; that, combined with robust gains in Udvar-Házy’s other stock and private equity holdings, helped push up his net worth.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in economics from UCLA.

Charitable Giving: In 1999, Udvar-Házy donated $60 million to the National Air and Space Museum, which named its Northern Virginia facility after him. Udvar-Házy and his wife, Christine, have also donated more than $100 million to Stanford University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona.